Committee on Academic Programs (CAP) March 25, 2014
Present: Allison Calhoun-Brown, Brennan Collins, Brian Thoms, Jennifer Esposito, John Medlock, Kathryn McClymond, Laura Frederick, Lynda Goodfellow, Margo Brinton, Maria Gindhart, Mary Beth Walker, Michelle Brattain, Paul Alberto, Peter Lyons, Richard Phillips, Sara Weigle, Sarah Cook, Shelby Frost, Skye Hardesty, Timothy Renick, William Long – Guest: Laura Fredrick, Mary Ariail, Shea Allman, Stephanie Behm Cross, Jenny Callahan
Call to Order
Michelle Brattain called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. in 124 Petit Science Center Approval of Minutes
The minutes of January 21, 2014 meeting were approved as distributed.
Motion from Undergraduate Council to approve a new concentration in Special Education to be added to BSE in Middle Level Education
Shelby Frost led the discussion and presented the motion to approve a new concentration in Special Education to be added to BSE in Middle Level Education. The BSE MLE Program is an Appropriate Venue for Preparing Special Education Teachers.
The BSE MLE program offers academic concentrations in reading, language arts, math, and science, and social studies. These are the same “core concentrations” that the Professional Standards Commission require for special education teachers to serve as “the teacher of record” for any of these subjects, which would make our students a good fit for these positions. Moreover, BSE MLE graduates who have passed their GACE subject tests are considered highly qualified teachers. Finally, preparing our pre-service candidates to enter the special education field will be essential to replace the growing number of special education teachers who will be retiring within the next few years, as predicted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Offering a Dual Degree in Special Education will enhance the BSE MLE Program by Attracting More Students.
The BSE MLE was implemented in the spring of 2010, and the number of students in the program has been growing, especially in the areas of math and science. In concentration areas of reading, language arts, and social studies, the numbers have not increased as steadily. However, one strategy that we can use to improve our numbers is to offer special education. This new certification would be particularly appealing to non-STEM BSE MLE graduates, who will have an added edge, and be more attractive to employers.
The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Undergraduate Council to approve the deactivation of BA in Geography and BS in Geology programs
Shelby frost led the discussion and presented the motion for the deactivation of BS in Geology and BA in Geography. Both the Geography and Geology Programs in the Department of Geosciences are being deactivated in favor of the new unified BA and BS in Geosciences degrees, which are now active and enrolling students as of Fall 2013. The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Undergraduate Council to approve the new concentration in Chinese Language and Society of the B.A program in International Economics and Modern Languages (IEML)
Shelby Frost led the discussion and presented the motion for the approval of a new concentration in Chinese Language and Society of the B.A program in International Economics and Modern Languages (IEML). The B.A. in International Economics and Modern Language (IEML) with a concentration in Chinese Language and Society is offered through the Department of Economics in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies in collaboration with the Department of Modern & Classical Languages (MCL) in the College of Arts and Sciences. As part of the program’s course requirement, students shall take eight upper-level courses in international economics and eight upper-level courses in Chinese Language and Society. This program provides the analytical tools to do economic research, consulting, and policy analysis on global issues, along with the language skills needed to work with the United States’ major trading partners in the greater China region. The program also aims to enhance intercultural awareness, provide intercultural life and work experiences, and enhance students’ competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Undergraduate Council to approve the Chinese Studies Minor in Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Shelby Frost led the discussion and presented the motion to approve the Chinese Studies Minor in Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies. The Chinese Studies minor gives under graduates in a wide variety of majors the opportunity to take an interdisciplinary set of courses that can combine social sciences, humanities, language, and other disciplines relating to China and Chinese culture. The minor thus
provides students with the opportunity to highlight their area studies background and prepares them for higher-level studies on China, Chinese culture and language. Chinese studies minors are highly
encouraged to participate in a study abroad program either in China or Hong Kong. The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Undergraduate Council to approve 4+1 dual degree programs
Shelby Frost led the discussion and presented the motion to approve 4+1 dual degree programs. The programs include: B.A. in Art, Art History concentration / M.A. in Art History (Welch School of Art and Design), B.S. in Biology/ M.S. in Biology (Department of Biology), B.S. in Chemistry/ M.S. in Chemistry (Department of Chemistry), B.A. in Film and Video / M.A. in Communication, Film/Video concentration (Department of Communication), B.A. in Geosciences / M.S. in Geosciences (Department of
Geosciences), B.S. in Geosciences / M.S. in Geosciences (Department of Geosciences), B.S. in Neuroscience / M.S. in Neuroscience (Neuroscience Institute), and B.A. in Sociology (Department of
Through the proposed dual degree programs, highly talented and qualified students will have the
opportunity to complete both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as short as five years. If determined to be qualified by typical admission measures of the College of Arts and Sciences (see below), they can begin taking coursework toward the designated master’s degree program while still completing their final year of bachelor’s work. Admission to the graduate program occurs in the final year as well and is contingent upon successful completion of the bachelor’s degree, on maintaining the required grade-point average, on performance in the graduate-level courses taken during the bachelor’s degree, and on meeting the other admission requirements of the specific program.
Program objectives and relation to each respective degree program: The primary objective of the proposed dual degree programs is to attract students to the collaborating programs who are capable of working at a high level late in their undergraduate program and have the potential to be successful graduate students. In so doing, dual degree programs will contribute to the university’s goals of 1) increasing the academic profile of its students and 2) expanding the number of qualified students pursuing graduate degrees at Georgia State.
The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Graduate Council to approve a Global Master of International Business (Global MIB) dual degree program
Kathryn McClymond led the discussion and presented the motion to approve the Global Master of International Business dual degree program. Global Master of International Business program
(“Program”) is a dual Master of Science International Business (“MSc IB”) and Master of International Business (“MIB”), wherein LUBS provides the MSc IB degree and RCB provides the MIB degree. Students will apply for the Program and meet admission requirements of each institution. This Program is not an exchange program and does not require reciprocity.
Students will attend full time continuously for a 20-month duration completing a total of 156 LUBS units at Leeds and 24 RCB semester credits at Georgia State to obtain the MSc IB at LUBS and the MIB degree at RCB. The Program may be initiated at either location and completed at the other dependent on programmatic considerations. Students starting the Program at Georgia State may begin each spring semester and remain at Georgia State from January – August. Additional Program start dates may be offered as Program numbers accommodate this action. Students will meet the full ten (10) course MIB curriculum in the following format: eight (8) courses will be taken from the full time MIB course options with the allowance for two of these courses to be taken from premium RCB course options when
Program numbers do not permit all eight courses being taken from MIB course offerings; two (2) courses will be accepted in transfer from the course work to be taken at LUBS.
Students will then attend LUBS from September – June, taking core courses and electives with a total 156 units. Additional attendance dates may be offered as Program numbers accommodate this action. LUBS will accept credits from Georgia State to an equivalent of 24 LUBS units, toward fulfilment of the MSc IB requirements of 180 units.
Motion from Graduate Council to approve a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis
Kathryn McClymond led the discussion and presented the motion to approve the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis. The goal of the program is to prepare students to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts by providing the coursework and practical experience that lead to eligibility to take the certifying exam and by developing the knowledge and skills that will prepare them to pass the exam and be ethically responsible and effective behavior analysts. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board has a task list of over a hundred objectives that must be addressed in an approved course sequence and that are assessed on the certifying exam (see Appendix A). Those objectives are the objectives of this master’s degree program. They are the objectives of the course that are currently offered in the Educational Psychology program and will be offered in an Applied Behavior Analysis program. These objectives include mastery of basic behavior-analytic skills (measurement, experimental design, behavior-change considerations, fundamental elements of behavior change, specific behavior-change procedures, and behavior-change systems), client-centered responsibilities (identification of the problem , measurement, assessment, intervention, and implementation, management, and supervision ), as well as mastery of foundational knowledge including the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional Disciplinary and Ethical Standards and Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for Behavior Analysts.
The committee unanimously approved the motion.
Motion from Graduate Council to approve a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design and Technology
Kathryn McClymond led the discussion and presented the motion to approve a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design and Technology. The Graduate Certificate Instructional Design and Technology is a 12 credit hour program of study. The content is the same as the courses taught in the M.S. Instructional Design and Technology program.
The online program is designed for individuals interested in working in a wide variety of education, training, and development areas such as those found in business, industry, government agencies, the military, and nonprofit organizations. This certificate is designed to meet the challenges created by technology training needs, and is designed to enhance skills in developing and managing e-learning and performance support in the workplace. The program emphasizes the competencies required to design, develop, facilitate, and manage e-learning and human performance support systems.
The goal of the certificate program is to help students meet the qualifications to advance within their current field related to education and training, and open up additional avenues for the students to pursue a career in instructional design or human performance technology.
Through a combination of classroom and hands-on activities, this program provides participants with the opportunity to design and produce learning activities that make effective use of technology in
instructional development. Ample opportunities are provided for applying the competencies learned in the classroom to job-related situations.
Motion from Graduate Council to approve a PhD Program in Communication Sciences Disorders Kathryn McClymond led the discussion and presented the motion to approve a PhD Program in
Communication Sciences Disorders. The objectives of the proposed doctoral degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Georgia State University are threefold: (1) To develop a high quality program that contributes to the scholarly base of the discipline of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD); (2) To train excellent doctoral level students who are prepared to pursue and obtain research faculty positions at research intensive colleges and universities in CSD programs and related disciplines; and (3) To create a world class doctoral training program that is a recognized leader in research on the unique characteristics and needs of individuals with communication disorders residing in major cities, including the needs of individuals living in poverty, disparities in service delivery, identification and assessment, and development of basic research focused on the needs of this specific demographic.
The committee unanimously approved the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
